This article is about what to do if your dog eats a watermelon rind.
If you see that your dog has eaten a watermelon rind, they might experience some side effects like vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach upset. If this happens to your dog, you should take them to the vet right away.
Do Dogs Like Watermelon Rind?
If your dog eats some watermelon rind it is not necessarily that they like watermelon. It could be a matter of curiosity or just the smell and color of the rind.
The reason for eating it might differ from one dog to another, but dogs will tend to eat things that are nutritious, and while fresh watermelons contain all these nutrients, their flavor and scent can become very attractive when one of those juicy red fruits starts to go bad.
It has been proven in clinical tests that dogs do like sweet things more than human beings.
This might explain why such a large number of them appear around during dessert time at family gatherings or dinner parties meeting up with other people’s pets on sidewalks out front.
Some pet owners claim that their dogs have shown themselves to be particularly fond of watermelon, but it is important to keep in mind that not all dogs will like the taste.
You should remember that even if you think your dog enjoys eating watermelon rind (for example by smelling around as if searching for a piece or even trying to eat some), it doesn’t mean they actually like it.
The best way to confirm how much your dog likes watermelon rind is by observing closely what they do when there are some leftovers lying around.
If they start sniffing and licking them with interest, then perhaps you’re dealing with a future fan of this delicious fruit.
But if on the other hand, they show slight curiosity, maybe only because of the color and smell, then they most likely won’t show any interest in the actual fruit, which is of course a good thing.
Always keep your dog away from leftovers if you aren’t sure how much they like them.
The watermelon rinds that have been proven to be spicy will only become more attractive to dogs as well as other small animals once they start growing mold because of their unique smell and taste.
When this happens it’s important to get rid of them completely around the house or backyard because even though these things are not toxic for humans, there are reasons why you don’t want them around you or your pets.
Why Your Dog Might Eat Watermelon Rind?
Even though we can easily figure out that these sweet fruits might cause dogs to eat the rinds out of curiosity or taste, most pet owners don’t usually enjoy seeing their dogs consuming this type of food and turn to vets for answers.
Watermelon is considered to be a safe fruit for dogs but in small amounts. Dogs might have a tendency to overeat if they find it and this could lead them to eat about half an entire fruit before you even get home from work.
This tends to happen more often with puppies that are still learning how much food constitutes a healthy meal for them when there’s none around.
While watermelons contain no fat or cholesterol, they can cause serious problems if eaten in excess so it’s important to keep your dog away from leftovers.
An adult dog will mostly lick the rinds instead of eating them but it’s best to keep a close eye out for any changes in their behavior.
Your dog might also be used to eating watermelon rinds if they were fed to them as treats from a young age, and this is one more reason why you should prevent your dogs from getting into these foods whenever possible even though the chances are pretty small.
Can Dogs Eat Watermelon Rind?
Yes, watermelon rind is safe and good for your dog to eat.
Dogs can eat watermelon rind as long as it has no seeds on the outside of it. Watermelons usually have many seeds on the inside of them, but watermelon rinds do not have any seeds on them.
If your dog eats more than a bite or two of the watermelon rind, they will probably get diarrhea from eating too much fiber at once.
If this happens, you should take your dog to a vet because they might get dehydrated if their diarrhea lasts too long. This could be something bad that needs medical attention immediately !!!
Is Watermelon Rind Poisonous?
It is not poisonous for your dog to eat watermelon rinds, but they are high in fiber and can cause stomach upset if your dog eats too much of them at once.
You should never let your dog eat the seeds from inside a watermelon because they can get sick from eating the seeds or even die if they chew on or swallow one whole.
What Happens When Dogs Eat Watermelon Rind?
When your dog eats watermelon rind they tend to throw up or suffer abdominal cramps because of the excessive consumption of calcium which can’t all be broken down by the body.
This will usually happen when feeding puppies or adults that aren’t used to consuming large amounts of watermelon on daily basis.
When given too much they will likely let most of it go through their digestive system without fully absorbing the nutrients.
The signs to look for in your dog after eating watermelon rinds are:
• Vomiting
• Abdominal cramps
• Diarrhea
This might not always happen, but some dogs do have this reaction even if it takes a few hours or days for the results to show.
Like we mentioned above, other small animals love these rinds because of their smell and taste so it’s best to stay on top of them whenever possible and remove all traces from your surroundings quickly before they get into trouble.
For example, raccoons are known for raiding trash bins looking for food scraps so you never know when they might take notice of your leftover fruits in the bin outside.
So remember that keeping your dogs away from watermelon rinds will not only save you a lot of worries but will also make sure you don’t taste them next time.
How to Treat Dogs Eating Watermelon Rind If They Do Get Sick?
As we mentioned above, when your dog eats watermelon rind and these problems start to show it’s best to take them in for a check-up as soon as possible because there might be more serious underlying causes causing all this than just the excess consumption of calcium.
This is especially important if your dog turns out to be diabetic and can’t control its blood sugar levels on its own so any sharp increase or decrease might result in severe health consequences down the road.
The treatment depends heavily on what caused it in the first place because, for example, if your dog has a low blood glucose level and there is insulin available you can treat them immediately with it.
If their condition worsens, however, there might be something more serious going on so make sure to call your vet before getting any further treatment started.
How Can I Prevent Dogs from Eating Watermelon Rind?
As we’ve mentioned above, the best way to keep your pets away from eating these rinds is to prevent them from seeing or smelling them as much as possible.
There are some things you can do at home to help control this problem and make sure watermelon rinds don’t become an attractive snack for your pets:
- Keep all traces of watermelons out of reach by storing them in closed containers indoors and out of sight.
- Don’t bring home watermelon rinds directly for your dogs from the supermarket. Use scraps instead, which are too small to be eaten properly by smaller animals like dogs.
- Teach your pets early on that eating watermelon rinds is not allowed but won’t be harmful to them, since this can help make sure they will never want to eat the food even if it’s within their reach throughout their life.
Some people have suggested that once you have finished eating a fruit or any other kind of leftover food item you store the rind in the fridge so they would soon learn how horrible they smell and taste after a while.
One thing that we should mention here is that most of the dogs will not get sick after eating watermelon rinds even if they are an enticing snack, but there is always a chance something going wrong so it’s best to try and avoid this in any way possible.
Conclusion
If you have any further questions about how to treat dogs eating watermelon rind or simply want some more information, please feel free to leave us a comment below and we will get back to you as soon as possible with an answer.
